MassEffectCNR is for everything within the continuity of Zyberion's Citadel News Relay posts in /MassEffect, including but not limited to: news posts, third person stories, first person messages between characters, etc. Welcome!

The ship rocked like an ancient boat as Kralla made her way back to the bridge, Solna following behind, refusing to remain in the medical wing. The bridge doors snapped open and the sound of the frantic yelling and beeping of overworked tactile displays flooded out, almost deafening the two arrivals on the bridge. As if on cue, Captain Shinna spun his captain's chair to face them, eyes blazing with accusation. "She led them right to us! She's betrayed this entire ship!" he pointed a finger directly at Solna

"Betrayed us to who!?" Kralla yelled back, shocked at this sudden outburst from the normally subdued captain.

"To the Ancestors damned Eclipse sisters, that's who!" He tapped on his Chair's arm and brought up a hologram of the attackers, a massive Asari Athame Class cruiser covered in Eclipse markings, with thousands of fighters streaming from it, backed up by two small frigates.

"Did you even see the condition she arrived in? She'd been tortured for months before escaping them, why would she join the Ecli-" Kralla's rebuttal was interrupted by a video transmission from the cruiser.

Superimposed over the front of the bridge was the image of an Asari in bright yellow armour that looked surprisingly similar to Solna, white facial markings that streaked back from her cheeks and up her forehead, only her skin was a far deeper shade of blue. The resemblance was unsettling, especially when Kralla noticed the eyes, they were a striking green, but instead of the warmth that radiated from Solna's, hers exuded nothing but hatred and cruelty. She began to speak. "Ah, it seems the suit rats did arrive, I hope little Solna contacted a good ship when we let her out. She always was good at running, another thing she had in common with her mother, I had to take her out nice and slowly to be sure."

Solna's hand curled into a fist, "You bitch! I will make you pay for what you did to my Mum and Dad!"

"Ah, Sol-Sol, m'dear, so you did manage to get over our little reunion. And this must be that Quarian bitch you kept mumbling about, Raklla or something. You know Raklla, she looks even more like her mother covered in her own blood." She steepled her fingers and leaned back in her chair. "Now, back to business, you will surrender this ship and all Migrant fleet data. Do this and we let you live as slaves. Quarians are quite expensive in the slave market, and we could always use more technicians. Refuse and we take the ship by force and kill you slowly and painfully, maybe sparing some of the women aboard, Omega could always use more whores. The choice is yours."

As the transmission ended, Solna dropped her head, defeated. "I led them to you, this is my fault. I should have died in that escape pod."

"Well I'm glad you didn't, these eclipse sisters would have gotten at the fleet eventually, but we can stop them here!" Kralla moved up to the Dais and peered at the Captain's combat readout. "They want to take us alive, that's why we haven't been blown out of the sky yet, if we can get some shuttles into that cruiser, we could shut down their command structure and throw the rest into disarray!"

"That could work, Gather a team and hit that ship Kralla, and hurry, before they change their minds!"

The barracks had turned out enough volunteers to assault the cruiser and protect the ship, just in time for a wave of boarding craft to leave the cruiser. Over the comms the captain yelled. "Commander Kralla, if you're going to go, go now, all hands prep for boarding!"

All three shuttles rocketed from the ship, Kralla's shuttle leading. "Quantor two and three, stay in formation, begin approach." Kralla pulled on the piloting yoke, pulling her shuttle into the climb needed to board an Athame cruiser, as it bristled with weaponry on the sides, but neglected the lower parts of the hull. Suddenly, Quantor three began to glow blue. "Quantor three, what's going on?!"

The pilot spoke over the intercom, his voice filled with fear. "Something's got us in a mass effect field, we can't see an emitter an-" the comm broke off as the ship started to disintegrate, torn apart by a blast from a lower cannon.

"Move! Quantor two, double time into the LZ!" Kralla pushed the thrusters as hard as possible and the shuttle leaped into the hangar, landing on the a small group of Eclipse guards, Quantor two followed shortly after, allowing the squads to quickly clear the hangar. Kralla turned to the leader of the other remaining squad, "Lieutenant, head down to the engine room, set some charges and head back here, we'll rendezvous after we take care of the bridge."

"Ma'am, yes Ma'am!" the younger Quarian snapped off a salute and lead his four man team towards the engines as Kralla and Solna's team went the opposite way, towards the bridge.

Gunfire raged in the hallway as Kralla's team pushed the bridge, they hadn't lost anyone yet, but there had been quite a few close calls. Solna popped out of cover and threw a singularity at the clustered Eclipse as Kralla tossed a grenade, the grenade and micro-black hole's explosion caused a tornado of shrapnel around the helplessly floating Asari, shredding their armour and barriers like papier mache, a technique the two had created on Omega to stop a group of Krogan that had been attempting to break into Afterlife's underbar, it had worked just as well then, as well. As the dust cleared, Solna began panting. "You'd think a military shuttle could've carried more than just four passengers"

"That's what we get for using old Kodiaks, they aren't even roomy in the first place, now come on, the bridge is right through there."

The bridge door slid open and the group moved in, only for a feeling of incredible weight to come over them, a stasis field had enveloped the team, controlled by the Asari at the front of the bridge, her eyes as black as the void "My, my" she cooed, "I have always wanted to meet my niece's girlfriend, but you brought me snacks too? How kind!" she strode over to the three other members of the squad and lifted the field from them, instead picking them up and allowing them to struggle as a miasma of energy flowed from them into her. In the end, they fell limp, stone dead.

"Aww, is that any way to speak about your favourite auntie? I have to admit you have great taste in women, she looks... Delicious" She placed a hand on the side of Kralla's head.

"We'll see how much you're laughing when we bring this ship down around you, bitch" Kralla growled, wishing she could spit in this monster's face.

"Oh, you mean your playmates?" the vampire laughed, "we did have a little fun with them." The vidscreen popped on to show a disembodied Quarian head, the lieutenant's, mounted on a handrail, while the others were slowly tortured and killed by cackling Eclipse sisters. At Kralla's crestfalled look, she gripped the Quarian's head, hard, and cackled. "Embrace Eternity." Kralla's world became a dark, painful place.

When the miasma began emanating from Kralla, Solna threw her biotics into overdrive, pushed on by Kralla screaming at the top of her lungs. Her aunt was taking it slow, reveling in the extra sustenance a painful death would provide. The miasma began moving slowly towards the Ardat-Yakshi, the absorption unstoppable as soon as it made a link. It was a centimetre away when the field was broken and she launched herself at her aunt.

the two Asari fought for supremacy on the ground, biotically enhanced punches leaving massive dents in bulkhead and body alike
"come now Sol-Sol, you cannot beat me, I've got a seven-hundred years and thirty-seven consciousnesses advantage" the parasite cooed after gaining the upper ground

"Well I've got someone to protect, and two to avenge!" Solna replied with a forceful biotic wave that threw her aunt backwards, allowing the two to rise. The biotic melee continued, coming to a standstill as they locked biotic fields, neither daring to move and give the other an opening.

"If only your father had given me such a fight he went down like a pyjack, an embarrassment to all Krogankind"

"You shall not dishonour my father! He was a hero of clan Gathranka!" Solna snarled

"Oh he was a much better fighter compared to your mother, she left him for dead and ran, oh I enjoyed my twin's screams during our little catchup session, upon this very ship, actually, the very room we had our 'discussion'"

Kralla slowly awoke, with surprise that she was still alive, and awe at the impressive biotic display before her, yet she could do nothing to help, her rifle was nowhere to be found, likely lost in the biotic shockwaves the hull damage suggested. All hope seemed lost as Solna started to become exhausted, until a communication came over Kralla's helmet.

"This is QMF Quantor, all non-bridge crew has been killed, and invaders are trying to enter the bridge, I don't know if you're still alive Kralla, but we're executing contingency zero-five. Keelah Se'lai Give 'em hell girl."

With this, two large explosions rocked the ship, the first as the Quantor rammed the cruiser, and the second as it detonated it's engines, throwing both Asari across the bridge while Kralla activated her magboots and caught Solna. They both walked over to the downed Ardat-Yakshi and Solna pulled her pistol.

Blood seeped from her mouth, she had smashed her torso on the edge of a console, puncturing a lung. "What're you going to do now Sol-Sol?" She coughed, "You and I both know you won't kill me."

Kralla stepped forward and grabbed Solna's gun when she hesitated. "No, but I will"

((I sense the aunt is an attempt to one up me? I'll have you know I worked as a Professional Torturer for over fifteen years, Living on the streets. I also made a name for myself at the Omega clinic as a surgeon. These skills combined have made me one of the most feared men in the terminus systems. So be on guard Mister Vas Trafalgar, I know how to kill.))

((Oh this aunt was a fully fledged character when you were but a mere errant thought in your writer's brain Samuli. There are many like her lurking in Spartaninspace's, and by extension, my, psyche. You know how to kill as a pre-school child knows how to finger-paint. Killing is an art. I am the master.))

((I'm going to have to show the world Sam's skill with a shiv aren't i? I've also been thinking of samuli's character since 7th grade as a means to vent my rage against my childhood bullies. Now he has a reason to exist and he has been called forth to shine for all the world. Albeit edited to fit better with the universe and whatnot.))

((You'd be surprised by the identity of this particular writer. I'm shocked no one has solved the mystery yet.))